Training for professionals

Speech, Language and Communication for SENCos in the Primary Years

This free session is aimed at both new and experienced SENDCos who would like to know more about speech, language and communication (SLC) development and difficulties, and how to support these in your setting. The session is delivered by an experienced speech and language therapist and includes a brief overview of SLC needs and their impact, with video examples and discussion. You will also have the opportunity to look through a large number of resources that are available – many of these are free and online.

The example resources will cover a number of topics:

• Development of speech and language and identifying SLC needs
• Quality first teaching for SLC needs and universal support
• Considerations for Targeted interventions
• Teaching spoken language and curriculum resources
• Whole school strategy for speech, language and communication
• Early years and working with parents

What is the course for?

• To develop skills in facilitating your staff group to identify and support SLC in your setting, considering strategies for all children and when to step up support for individual children.
• To consider best evidence for targeted interventions in your setting.
• To develop an understanding of when specialist support from speech and language therapy needs to be considered (and what information is required to make a referral).
• To give SENDCos an opportunity to become familiar with resources, training and websites that may be useful in your setting.

How long is the course?

One single session of three hours

Who should attend?

SENDCos or staff in a similar role in primary or secondary education

Which children will it help?

We aim to offer advice and signpost to resources that could benefit all children, including those with identified SLC needs.

Can we offer it as INSET?

This session was not developed with a whole setting team in mind, but please feel free to contact us if you are interested in something similar for your staff group.
We can also provide this training for groups of SENDCos or a network of settings.

Teaching vocabulary in the early years

Many children pick up new words easily but some can struggle to develop a wide vocabulary, leaving them at a disadvantage as they move through school. This course is for early years teachers and other staff who want to know how to teach vocabulary in a structured way through day-to-day interactions and activities in their setting. The approach we use is suitable for all children.

The session is delivered by an experienced speech and language therapist and covers:

• Which words are the most useful for you to focus on teaching?
• How can you give children the best chance to learn new words?
• How can you fit a systematic approach to teaching vocabulary into your existing planning?

What is the course for?

To give early years practitioners a structured way of teaching vocabulary to all children, and an opportunity to plan how they will implement this in their setting. This training is not about children who have specific vocabulary difficulties and it does not provide advice on assessing or delivering intervention for language problems.

How long is the course?

Usually one session of 2.5 hours

Who should attend?

Early years practitioners working with children of 2–5 years old. All staff attending the session will learn strategies they can use for teaching vocabulary, but the training will be most effective if the staff who attend have the authority to implement the approach across their whole team.

Which children will it help?

The approach we teach is appropriate for all children in an early years setting, and we will talk briefly about differentiation of vocabulary according to children’s needs. This is not, however, a specific session about children who have language difficulties.

Can we offer it as INSET?

Yes, this course works well as a whole team session. For the approach to be implemented successfully we recommend that teachers and senior leaders attend the training alongside other members of the staff team. Please contact us if you are interested in having the training delivered in your setting.

Speech, Language and Communication for Early Years Leads and SENDCos

This free session is aimed at both new and experienced Early Years leads and SENDCos. It covers speech, language and communication (SLC) development and difficulties, and how to support these in your setting. The session is delivered by an experienced speech and language therapist and includes a brief overview of SLC needs and their impact, with video examples and discussion. You will also have the opportunity to look through a large number of resources that are available – many of these are free and online.

The example resources will cover a number of topics:

• Development of speech and language and identifying SLC needs
• Universal strategies for SLC support
• Considerations for Targeted interventions
• Teaching spoken language and EYFS resources
• Whole setting strategy for speech, language and communication
• Working with parents

What is the course for?

• To develop skills in facilitating your staff group to identify and support SLC in your setting, considering strategies for all children and when to step up support for individual children.
• To consider best evidence for targeted interventions in your setting.
• To develop an understanding of when specialist support from speech and language therapy needs to be considered (and what information is required to make a referral).
• To give SENDCos an opportunity to become familiar with resources, training and websites that may be useful in your setting.

How long is the course?

One session of three hours.

Who should attend?

Early Years Leads, SENDCos or staff in a similar role in early years settings

Which children will it help?

We aim to offer advice and signpost to resources that could benefit all children, including those with identified SLC needs.

Can we offer it as INSET?

This session was not developed with a whole setting team in mind, but please feel free to contact us if you are interested in something similar for your staff group.

We can also provide this training for groups of SENDCos or a network of settings.

Supporting children to use language: developing expression and narrative skills in the primary years

Some children struggle to give a well-ordered or coherent account of information they have heard, or imaginative themes they want to share. This can leaving them at a disadvantage as they move through school and in developing literacy skills.

This course is for key stage 1 and 2 teachers and other staff who want to know how to support oral narrative in a structured way through day-to-day interactions and activities in school. The approaches we consider are suitable for all children.

The session is delivered by an experienced speech and language therapist and covers:

• Stages of narrative development to allow you to identify difficulties and target support.
• How you can give children the best chance to learn narrative structures.
• Frameworks to support narrative development relating to typical class activities.

What is the course for?

• To give primary school teaching staff information on best practise for developing oracy in all children, and an opportunity to plan how they will implement this in their classroom.
• This training is not about children who have developmental language disorders or English as an Additional Language. It is intended as an adjunct to classroom practices to support children and identify if further specialist support is needed.

How long is the course?

Usually one session of 3 hours

Who should attend?

Teachers and teaching assistants in key stage 1 but some information will be relevant for KS2. All staff attending the session will learn strategies they can use to support oracy, but the training will be most effective if the staff who attend have the authority to implement the approach within their classroom setting.

Which children will it help?

The approach we take is appropriate for all children in primary school, and covers development of narrative skills to facilitate consideration of levels of support required for children’s needs. This is not, however, a replacement for specialist assessment of children who have language difficulties or advice on specific therapies for individual children.

Can we offer it as INSET?

Yes, this course works well as a whole team session. For the approach to be implemented successfully we recommend that teachers and senior leaders attend the training alongside other members of the staff team. Please contact us if you are interested in having the training delivered in your school.

Supporting children to understand language

This course has been designed to develop teachers and teaching assistants skills to support children with their understanding of language. This session is aimed at supporting children at an early years and key stage 1 level in the classroom.

The training session is delivered by an experienced speech and language therapist and covers:

• Development of attention, listening and understanding of verbal information including ‘key’ information carrying words.
• Understanding of different levels of questions from concrete, the here and now, abstract and the how and the why.
• The links between language and behaviour management.
• How to apply the approach within your planning and whole class teaching.

What is the course for?

• To offer an overview of typical development in understanding spoken language.
• To give Early Years & KS1 teachers and teaching assistants a structured way to identify and support children experiencing a difficulty understanding verbal information.
• To consider strategies to use to teach and support the understanding of language within the school environment. These can be applied flexibly as part of whole class teaching as well as with small groups or individual children.

How long is the course?

Usually one session of 2.5 hours

Who should attend?

• Early Years or KS1 Primary teachers and teaching assistants looking to enhance their practice in supporting children with difficulties understanding language.
• Some teachers or teaching assistants supporting children with SEN may also benefit if children they support have skills at this level.

Which children will it help?

This course should facilitate supporting children in the early years and KS1 including those with delayed understanding of language or developmental language disorders.

Can we offer it as INSET?

Yes, this course can be delivered a whole team session. Please contact us if you are interested in having the training delivered in your setting.